


When the Dust Settles

by xreyskywalkersolo



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen, I just rewatched s3 and s4 and I forgot how much I loved Lin and Suyin, I wish we had more of them, also the rating is for language, or of the Beifongs in general
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 04:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19456567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xreyskywalkersolo/pseuds/xreyskywalkersolo
Summary: Suyin has a nightmare about Lin dying at P'Li's hands. Set immediately after the s3 finale.





	When the Dust Settles

Suyin Beifong doesn’t really have nightmares. It’s not that she’s never had them, or that one doesn’t crop up every now and again, but it just isn’t something she’s ever had to deal with on a regular basis. The fact that her days are packed full and usually leave her feeling drained, albeit in a good way, probably helps with that, and so it’s a complete and total shock to her when she wakes up with her heart in her throat, Lin’s name on her lips in the echoes of a terrified scream.

Suyin stares unseeingly into the dark, her pulse thundering in her ears, and it takes a moment for the vestiges of sleep to slip away and the threads of reality to disentangle from her dreams. Bare feet immediately hit the floor, shockwaves running up her legs as she searches for her sister, but even when she senses Lin asleep in her room it doesn’t calm the frantic racing of her heart. She needs to really see her, needs to know that Lin is there, alive and well.

That when Suyin wrapped her armor around P’Li’s head, it wasn’t too late to save Lin.

She’s not really thinking when she opens Lin’s door, solely focusing on her sister’s wellbeing, and it’s only Suyin’s highly honed reflexes that enable her to duck under the metal cable that whips towards her face. Lin is sitting up in bed, hand outstretched, but when she sees Suyin she huffs a breath through her nose and lets it drop. “Su,” she grumbles, rubbing her face, “what the hell are you doing barging into my room?? You’re lucky I didn’t take your head off.”

Suyin doesn’t respond, almost lightheaded with relief as she stares at Lin, and Lin’s brow creases for a moment before softening in comprehension. She swings her legs over the edge of the bed and stands, half-reaching for the armor draped over the back of the nearby desk chair before seeming to think better of it. “Let’s get some tea,” Lin murmurs, moving closer to Suyin and lightly settling a hand on her back, “come on.”

Nobody would ever know it by looking at her, but Lin makes one of the best cups of jasmine tea that Suyin has ever had, and so she doesn’t protest and allows her sister to lead her to the kitchen. They don’t talk as Lin switches the stove on and heats the kettle, and it’s only when they’re sitting across from each other that Lin says, “You’ve never been in a fight like that before, have you?”

“Not until the Red Lotus showed up, no.” Suyin takes a long sip of her tea, trying to let the heat that spreads through her bones soothe her. “I’ve been in my fair share of scrapes and bar fights, but…nothing like that.”

“You get used to it.” Lin wraps her hands around her own tea. “The memories fade after a while. Soon they’ll just be old ghosts.”

Suyin resists the urge to ask how many ghosts Lin has. She doesn’t want to have that conversation right now. “Did you ever dream about…..what-ifs?”

Lin sighs. “I used to. Now….it’s mostly ‘should have’. Should have been faster, should have been better…..should have gone left instead of right. It’s like a broken record in my head.”

Suyin’s fingers tremble as her throat tightens. “I….I almost wasn’t fast enough today. If I had been one second later with P’Li—”

“Don’t.” Lin’s hand wraps around Suyin’s forearm, and she shakes her head. “Don’t do that. You’ll drive yourself insane. You were fast enough, and you saved me. I’m right here.” 

Suyin covers Lin’s hand with her own, and she closes her eyes, focusing on Lin’s heartbeat vibrating through the floor beneath her feet. “I know,” she murmurs finally, her breath leaving her in a heavy rush, “I know. But…..it’s difficult.”

“Is that….all that’s bothering you?” Link asks after a moment. She sounds hesitant, like she’s afraid of Suyin’s answer. “About P’Li?”

Suyin opens her eyes, brow furrowing in confusion. “Yes,” she says, “why else would I be upset?”

“I thought….” Lin withdraws her hand, leaning back in her chair. “P’Li……you didn’t just….stop her. She…….”

“I see.” Suyin exhales. “You think I’m upset because I killed her.”

“I didn’t—I just thought maybe—you’re not used to—”

“I’m not, Lin. I don’t regret what happened.” It’s a violent, terrible death, and Suyin wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but she’s not sorry. “She was a threat to the world, and to Korra, and to my family. Killing her was the only way to stop her. I am sorry that it came to that, but I would do it again if I had to.”

“Oh.” Lin looks down at her tea, avoiding Suyin’s eyes, and Suyin feels herself tense.

“Does that bother you?” she asks, her voice sharper than she meant it to be. Lin looks up again, quickly shaking her head.

“No, no, of course not. I just…..you’ve never killed anyone before, so I expected…” Lin trails off, and Suyin doesn’t feel the need to follow up on that particular thread, so she just takes another sip of tea and says nothing. She could jab at Lin if she wanted to, about Lin expecting anything of Suyin when Lin avoided her for thirty years, but she doesn’t want to.

She’s tired of fighting.

“I love you too,” Suyin says abruptly, putting her teacup down and reaching out to take Lin’s hand. “I should have told you when you said it, but….I didn’t. I was afraid of losing you, and if I said it…..it would have hurt too much.”

“Oh.” Lin clears her throat, and it’s easy to see that she’s uncomfortable but she doesn’t withdraw her hand. “That’s, um, that’s alright. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m sure you’ll have to go back to Republic City with Korra, but after the dust has settled, I’d love it if you stayed here for a few weeks. Opal and the boys would be thrilled to have you around.” Suyin smiles. “And I know Wing and Wei would leap at the chance to spar with you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Lin says after a moment, which is as good as Suyin knows she’ll get right now. “It depends on Korra. If she stays in Republic City, I’ll need to be there to protect her.”

“She’s lucky to have you watching over her. They all are.” Lin never wanted kids, which is why she and Tenzin broke up, but Suyin wonders if Lin has realized that she’s unwittingly adopted four teenagers. “You’re a damn fine chief of police, Lin. Mom would be so proud of you.”

Lin drains the rest of her tea and stands up. “Not that this isn’t fun, but I’m going back to bed,” she grumbles. Suyin allows herself a quiet chuckle but doesn’t protest. Lin has never been one for what she deems ‘touchy-feely bullshit’. “Are you alright?”

“I will be.” Suyin reaches out to take Lin’s hand and squeeze it before letting go. “I love you, Lin.”

Lin smiles, a softer expression than Suyin has seen on her in decades. “I love you too, Su. And every time you’re covering my ass, I know you’re going to save it. That’s what family is for, right?”

In spite of everything, of the fear that still hasn’t fully left and Korra’s injuries and the massive undertaking Suyin knows is coming to rebuild the Earth Kingdom, she finds herself smiling back. “Yes,” she agrees. “Yes, it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Holy SHIT it has been forever since I posted anything. And it's Korra fanfic, to boot. What year is this???


End file.
